Current Affairs Coronavirus Thread - Serious stuff !!!

[Toast]

Isn't there a protest thread ?

 

[NilSatisOptimum]

Even handedness has to be applied here though

Its a big fail then because it's not fair, black and brown people simply don't have the same opportunities as myself an indigenous white, , even the likes Cameron recognised this by tasking Lammy looking into institutional rascism. If a community most at risk want to risk serious disease by protesting there is something very wrong in the UK.

 

[Papa Shango]

This is the wrong time for protesting. I wholeheartedly support the right to peaceful protest. Just not right now.

I don’t think anybody is arguing the justification for black people protesting in general. I’m certainly not.

I'd like to think nobody thinks that of you. I would imagine they don't.

The problem is when is the right time? Protests and especially ones around such an emotive subject are not based around reasoning, planning and logic.

It's been brewing for centuries, it has gotten worse with recent events (and the dick in charge of the US), combined with the lockdowns etc I think the a lot of people had just had enough and took to the streets.

In an ideal world calmer heads would prevail but its not as straightforward as that. As a person with my feet in multiple camps here I don't know what to think right now and it certainly doesn't effect me as much as it does others.

"What do we want?"
"Equal rights and an end to systematic racism!"
When do we want it?"
"As soon as it is safe and acceptable enough to do so!"

It doesn't really work.

 

[Foot Long Hot Dog]

Even handedness has to be applied here though. We cant be deploring a government for finding a pretext to end the lockdown and place the nation in danger again, and also hand a free pass out to thousands of people flouting social distancing. Obvioulsy there's no moral equivalency being applied by me - this government are evil beyond all doubt, the protesters have their hearts in the right place. But this virus couldn't give a flying one about motives: it'll take up space whoever invites it in.

We cant square this circle. It's a pandemic. The only way of dealing with it is for everyday people - activists and non-activists alike - to take a lead and behave in a way that has the most vulnerable in mind at all time. That is the truly progressive course of action, not congregating in tens of thousands and spreading a virus that could get through to even more vulnerable people and kill or seriously affect their health.

I agree, hence the reason my post assumed all of those decrying the protests, did the same thing last week. Even handedness.

 

[Brennan]

I'd like to think nobody thinks that of you. I would imagine they don't.

The problem is when is the right time? Protests and especially ones around such an emotive subject are not based around reasoning, planning and logic.

It's been brewing for centuries, it has gotten worse with recent events (and the [Poor language removed] in charge of the US), combined with the lockdowns etc I think the a lot of people had just had enough and took to the streets.

In an ideal world calmer heads would prevail but its not as straightforward as that. As a person with my feet in multiple camps here I don't know what to think right now and it certainly doesn't effect me as much as it does others.

"What do we want?"
"Equal rights and an end to systematic racism!"
When do we want it?"
"As soon as it is safe and acceptable enough to do so!"

It doesn't really work.

I appreciate the post but I’m not going to reply as @Toast is right, this isn’t the thread.

 

[Goat]

https://twitter.com/i/events/1269366149050843137?s=13

Be very interested to see what Phillys numbers look like in 3 weeks time.

 

[Catfish Blues]

If the government had locked down properly when they should've, these protests would be much less controversial and dangerous.

True, but they ( the govt ) didn't, so they ( the protests ) are. It's a bit like saying some idiot lit a fire, so the people who stuck their hands in the flames bear no responsibility for ending up in a burns department in their local hospital.

To be honest, I have more sympathy with the protesters breaking the 2 metre rule than people who went to crowded beaches and did the same, but, although the protesters hold the moral high ground, the virus doesn't care about morals.

 

[davek]

Its a big fail then because it's not fair, black and brown people simply don't have the same opportunities as myself an indigenous white, , even the likes Cameron recognised this by tasking Lammy looking into institutional rascism. If a community most at risk want to risk serious disease by protesting there is something very wrong in the UK.

The racism in the UK is real, very real. But it's a seperate issue and one that cant be taken on right now without damaging the most vulnerable.

These are strange times. Ordinarily a protest like that would get the blessing of any right minded person; in the middle of a pandemic that's cost 66,000 lives already it's worse than useless because it's a strategy that will rebound and hurt the least able to cope with a pandemic AND it will offer a murderous government the chance to pin any second wave on the protestors.

The bottom line is that we have to defeat the virus first, then we deal with the structural and institutional racism and inequality.

 

[Goat]

The racism in the UK is real, very real. But it's a seperate issue and one that cant be taken on right now without damaging the most vulnerable.

These are strange times. Ordinarily a protest like that would get the blessing of any right minded person; in the middle of a pandemic that's cost 66,000 lives already it's worse than useless because it's a strategy that will rebound and hurt the least able to cope with a pandemic AND it will offer a murderous government the chance to pin any second wave on the protestors.

The bottom line is that we have to defeat the virus first, then we deal with the structural and institutional racism and inequality.

Never will there be a bigger stage.

The lockdown ended a few weeks ago Dave, Boris The Butcher took his finger off the wound and we as a country are in the process of bleeding out.

At this point we might as well get something for the human cost and the economic meltdown thats to follow.

 

[Papa Shango]

The racism in the UK is real, very real. But it's a seperate issue and one that cant be taken on right now without damaging the most vulnerable.

These are strange times. Ordinarily a protest like that would get the blessing of any right minded person; in the middle of a pandemic that's cost 66,000 lives already it's worse than useless because it's a strategy that will rebound and hurt the least able to cope with a pandemic AND it will offer a murderous government the chance to pin any second wave on the protestors.

The bottom line is that we have to defeat the virus first, then we deal with the structural and institutional racism and inequality.

Spot on but it's an emotive subject too. The tensions are so high that it's not as simple as saying we can revisit it down the line. In an ideal world everything you say happens. Its not an ideal world though unfortunately.

 

[NilSatisOptimum]

The racism in the UK is real, very real. But it's a seperate issue and one that cant be taken on right now without damaging the most vulnerable.

These are strange times. Ordinarily a protest like that would get the blessing of any right minded person; in the middle of a pandemic that's cost 66,000 lives already it's worse than useless because it's a strategy that will rebound and hurt the least able to cope with a pandemic AND it will offer a murderous government the chance to pin any second wave on the protestors.

The bottom line is that we have to defeat the virus first, then we deal with the structural and institutional racism and inequality.

BAME community are some of the most at vulnerable from this virus, yet they have compelled themselves to be at more risk by protesting, as white person of low risk I find their stance most admirable. Racism has been round much longer than this virus and undoubtedly killed many millions more.

 

[Jebus_lives]

This is the wrong time for protesting. I wholeheartedly support the right to peaceful protest. Just not right now.

I don’t think anybody is arguing the justification for black people protesting in general. I’m certainly not.

People are angry. That generates momentum, so it's understandable people will want to take to the streets.

Powers that have been granted to the police in this country during this Pandemic have been done so without parliamentary scrutiny and have given police great degrees of power over the population under the guise of public safety.

While thousands of fines were issued to the general public (I've not seen the breakdown figures for this but I get if you dig deeply they will be targeted at particular groups) the police effectively excused a high profile Government figure for clearly breaching lockdown and allowed widespread partying across the country for VE day.

At the same time as that was happening the news were reporting that there is disproportionate impact on BAME groups from the virus in the UK because of pre existing social-economic conditions. The current ruling Party in Government has had a recent scandal with Windrush, has tried to create a hostile environment for refugees and has introduced illegal racist policies as part of that agenda and is now led by someone who has described BAME people on numerous occasions in derogatory terms and has demonstrated he has no problem with undermining the rule of law if he thinks it will keep him in power, backed by those who have appealed to nationalist fear of foreigners and created division among communities in the UK.

Meanwhile, over in America, a country we are looking to build closer ties with, while looking to abandon 'stiffling' employee and human rights protections, they have a Facist in charge, put in place by Steve Bannon who has enabled the sinister rise of Johnson and other nationalist populists in the UK, with a police force who feel justified, in increasing frequency, exercising brutality and fatal force against black people, culminating in a man, who spent counterfeit money, being choked to death by a police officer in broad daylight for 9 minutes while fellow officers and the public watched on and did nothing,

Yes they should be social distancing, but it won't be as effective next year and Zoom protests will unlikely have the same effect.

 

[davek]

Never will there be a bigger stage.

The lockdown ended a few weeks ago Dave, Boris The Butcher took his finger off the wound and we as a country are in the process of bleeding out.

At this point we might as well get something for the human cost and the economic meltdown thats to follow.

Spot on but it's an emotive subject too. The tensions are so high that it's not as simple as saying we can revisit it down the line. In an ideal world everything you say happens. Its not an ideal world though unfortunately.

BAME community are some of the most at vulnerable from this virus, yet they have compelled themselves to be at more risk by protesting, as white person of low risk I find their stance most admirable. Racism has been round much longer than this virus and undoubtedly killed many millions more.

I dont see what's there to be achieved.

We need discipline at a time when the political class have failed us and are propelling us over the top into danger.

The really radical thing to do is to sit tight and not move until the virus is firmly under control. The LP and the unions and other progressive forces have not stepped up and provided an alternative narrative and it's unforgivable.

These protests are an unchanneled indulgence. That maybe very unfair, but in the contest of a pandemic it's earned IMO.

First and foremost EVERY action we all take has to have the most vulnerable 2 million being shielded as a priority. No one can justify the actions of the protsstors in that respect.

FFS have we all forgot the stay at home and protect lives message for a few weeks back? This government might be tearing it up, but that's no excuse for decent people to. These are all our people on this shielded list. We have to minimize all dangers to them.

 

[Goat]

I dont see what's there to be achieved.

We need discipline at a time when the political class have failed us and are propelling us over the top into danger.

The really radical thing to do is to sit tight and not move until the virus is firmly under control. The LP and the unions and other progressive forces have not stepped up and provided an alternative narrative and it's unforgivable.

These protests are an unchanneled indulgence. That maybe very unfair, but in the contest of a pandemic it's earned IMO.

First and foremost EVERY action we all take has to have the most vulnerable 2 million being shielded as a priority. No one can justify the actions of the protsstors in that respect.

FFS have well forgot the stay at home and protect lives message for a few weeks back? This government might be tearing it up, but that's no excuse for decent people to. These are all our people on this shielded list. We have to minimize all dangers to them.

Its over Dave, we lost, nodody cares anymore, they wanna go the pub and Ikea, just sit back and stay alert.

 

[Brennan]

Its over Dave, we lost, nodody cares anymore, they wanna go the pub and Ikea, just sit back and stay alert.

The vast majority of people do care.

I haven’t seen anybody I know personally apart from my other half for well over 2 months. Same goes for many of my friends.